Overview

A young American businesswoman discovers life inside a Japanese corporation. Armed with a new degree in Japanese studies, plenty of youthful idealism, and a can-do attitude, a young woman accepts a job as the first American trainee at Honda's headquarters in Tokyo. Her image of Japanese corporate life is dramatically challenged on her first day at work when she is issued a blue polyester uniform—a uniform worn only by women! With good humor and accessible prose, Laura Kriska relates her journey through the company, from serving tea to executives and cleaning the boss's desk to a stint in public relations and developing training classes for Japanese associates going to America. The reader is rooting for Kriska as she recounts her struggle to adapt to—and ultimately thrive in—the culture of a traditional Japanese company. Shortly before her departure, she comes full circle by introducing a successful campaign to make women's uniforms optional. Now with a new foreword by the author, The Accidental Office Lady is a vivid and valuable firsthand account not only of corporate Japan and the gender inequality that persists within it, but of an outsider's successful attempt to work within cultural boundaries to affect organizational change.

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Reviews

The Accidental Office Lady: An American Woman in Corporate Japan , originally published in 1998 and recently rereleased with a new foreword by the author, is her story. The book is a testament to the fact that it is possible to thrive in even the most alien of cultures. -- Bangkok Post

Laura Kriska's lively and invaluable story underlines the simple truth that making the world better starts with a fundamental respect for the way other people live. --Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea and Stones Into Schools

Author Information

Laura Kriska is a leading Japanese business consultant specializing in communication and teamwork. She is dedicated to creating successful relationships between Japanese and Americans in the workplace. Kriska's writing has appeared in Cosmopolitan, Working Woman, Self, and Mangajin.

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